Gone But Not Lost
by Briana Breezy
Summary: A/U story. The rebels rescue Peeta from the arena instead of Katniss, who is taken by the Capitol. Even though this has happened, can the rebels still win the war? Please review! Disclaimer: I own nothing.
1. It Should Have Been Me

**A/N: If you've never read The Hunger Games Trilogy, you might not understand this story. Also, since it's A/U, it's very obviously going to be different. But for this first chapter, I'm laying down the foundation so in some places it may be similar.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter One – It Should Have Been Me

I know she didn't want to part with me. But how could I insist on going with her without making it obvious we were about to break the alliance? Besides, Beetee wanted me to stay with him. Things went fast from here. Soon, the line went slack and I could hear Katniss cry out something and I thought she was in trouble. I tried running to her aid but I was attacked by one of the tributes we weren't allied with. I easily dispatched him and saw Johanna knock Katniss down, slicing her arm with a knife.

"What are you doing?" I yell, going for the two. Johanna attacks me, trying to slice in precisely the same spot she got Katniss. She succeeds and runs off. I look to where Katniss had been not more than a minute ago and in her place was a small pool of blood. I thought of the lightning tree. If I were Katniss, that's where I'd go. I sprinted to it, losing blood fast. Katniss wasn't there. Beetee was, knocked out cold, and the knife in his hand suggested he had been trying to defend himself. I looked closer and noticed the knife was wrapped tightly with the metal coil, making the steel weapon deadly. His arm had been angled toward the force field, and since there were no traces of enemies around, I figured he really had been trying to manipulate the arena. But why? And how, even? I look up and notice an odd chink that indicates the force field is right in front of me. It's hard to hold onto, because it's an odd distortion of the earth. If I threw the knife into that spot, would it simply kill me, or give way to the outside world?

I've been standing here for less than a minute contemplating. I make my final resolve, and just as I throw the knife, I hear somebody yell out my name.

"_Peeta!_" It was very faint, but I hear her nonetheless.

"Katniss? Katniss!" The last thing I remember was the force field blowing up before I went unconscious.

xXx

Tubes are connected to me, keeping most of the pain away. I'm in a hospital bed, even though I'm sure I'm fine. Just a little sore and confused. I can tell I'm in a hovercraft because of the slight wobble and my first thought is that the Capitol has gotten me. For a second, I'm truly terrified. Do they have Katniss, too? If they do, I'm sure she is heavily sedated and under close watch. Why aren't I?

Looking to my right, Beetee is asleep and connected to tubes that drip morphling into his system. They must have pulled us all out of the arena once I destroyed their precious force field. I rip the tubes from my arms, the taped on needles as well. It hurts, but I get up – a little shakily – and start down the narrow hallway. I hear voices from a room to my right. I listen to their conversation.

"Did you get Annie?" Finnick Odair says, sounding as if he's on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was in on this? With the Capitol? Traitor!

"Yes, we got Annie. She's in one of our hovercrafts as we speak." Haymitch says tiredly. _Haymitch_ says? Maybe I'm not in a Capitol hovercraft.

"I know you're there, Peeta." He says. I walk into the room and sit down in the chair next to Finnick.

"What's going on?" My voice cracks a little, my eyes search the room for danger. Even out of the arena, everything seems to be a threat unless proven not to be.

"Things went wrong. You weren't supposed to be the one to destroy the force field. But you did. As soon as that happened, we grabbed you from the arena. We needed to save at least one of you."

"Who is 'we'?"

"The rebels. Now go ahead, ask." Haymitch braces himself.

"Where's Katniss?" I already know the answer. _We needed to save at least one of you_.

"I'm sorry, Peeta, the Capitol got to her before we did."

"No," I whisper. "No, no, no." My hands are trembling and I bury my face in them. _Be strong, Peeta_, I think. _We just need to get her back, now, and everything will be fine._

"The original plan was to save Katniss and then you, if possible. She's the face of this rebellion. But they know how much we need her. How much power she holds over the rebels, even though she has no idea." Haymitch sighs.

"I just can't wait to go home." The way Haymitch looks at me stirs my curiosity. "What?"

"Peeta, there is no District 12 anymore."

"What!" I exclaim.

"The Capitol fire bombed it within minutes of the end of the games. Gale helped as many people as he could escape."

"My family? Prim and Katniss's mother? Did they all get out?"

"Your family didn't make it, Peeta, I'm sorry."

So much has been thrust upon me. My stomach hurts and my heart races. My thoughts are jumbled, and all I can think is that I hope we can get Katniss out alive.

"When are we rescuing her?" The sentence startles Haymitch.

"We can't, Peeta. She's as good as dead. They'll probably kill her on live television, to make an example out of her. To show the rebels what happens to traitors."

"We _have_ to get her!" My voice seems to bounce off the walls. Even I'm surprised at the fierceness and determination in those five words.

"We'll talk about this when we get to 13." Finnick says reassuringly. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

I laugh coldly. "There is no 13."

"Yes. There is. District 13 is the head of the rebellion. The Capitol let them live as long as they let them be presented to Panem as dead. They obviously couldn't have been taken out because of the nukes they manufactured – it would have created a nuclear war. Then who would have been alive to bask in the triumph?" Finnick runs a hand through his hair and I soak in all of the new information.

"What else have you withheld from me, Haymitch?"

"Everything I never told you was necessary to your survival in the games. You would have told Katniss, and then it would look too suspicious. She's rather bad on camera, you know."

"I'm sick of not knowing what's going on! From now on, you tell me everything!" I stand and walk back to my hospital bed, suddenly aware the gown I am wearing is not my normal clothes. I eat the food they bring me and promptly fall asleep. There must have been sedatives in it. My nightmares are filled with Katniss being tortured for information, Katniss being killed by Snow, Katniss pleading for me to save her. The images conjured by my subconscious are burned into my mind. All I can think when I wake up again is that we have to get her out of there somehow. Even if it costs my own life.

Soon, we arrive in District 13. It's mostly underground and the security is extremely ridiculous. Since I haven't really had real medical treatment, I'm sent straight to the medical department and they tell me I should be fine. I made out pretty good. The only thing that they had to do was stitch up the wound on my arm. Haymitch told me Johanna had only been trying to get out my tracker. If only I'd just left with Katniss when she had suggested instead of sticking around…

Gale shoots me a glare as we turn down the same hallway. I pull my eyebrows together in confusion. Jealous or angry, maybe? I don't really care. I'm supposed to be in command for some reason.

I identify myself and enter the room, just after Gale does. Everyone is wearing the same outfit. I thought I was the only one assigned to wear these depressing clothes.

"Soldier Mellark. Take a seat." Coin gestured to an empty seat next to Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker. Quite a surprise to see Capitol citizens among rebels. Then again, I guess they're rebels, too. I sat down and waited for Coin to start talking. Good thing Haymitch gave me a breakdown of everybody's names or I'd be stuck looking like an idiot.

"As you know, our mockingjay was taken by the Capitol. So now, we are left with two choices," She talks slowly, enunciating the words. "We could perform a rescue mission and attempt to get her back, risking the lives of many. _Or_," Her eyes fell on me. "Peeta Mellark could take the roll of mockingjay. He truly does have a way with words."

"No." The word bubbled up to my lips before I could stop it. I was shaking my head halfway through her proposal. We needed Katniss back. I can't help myself from thinking it should have been me that the Capitol took.

"Although Peeta is good with words, he just can't be the mockingjay. Katniss already has the title. I say we get her back and the two can work together." A man with white hair and blue eyes says. His nametag identifies him as Boggs. I like him already.

"If Snow airs her talking out against the rebellion, the districts that are unsure of themselves will surely be _against_ us." Plutarch drums his fingers against the table. "She needs to be _here_, being taped saying things that will fire up the undecided."

"I think we should leave her." Haymitch speaks up. Every pair of eyes turns to look at him.

"_What?_" I shout, enraged at the thought.

"Just think about it!" He puts his fist down on the table. "If he decides to kill her, it would add fuel to the fire. She would be a martyr for the rebellion. He would see it as teaching people a lesson – showing people how easily their mockingjay lost her wings. But the rebels would only be more powerful than ever."

"Haymitch, no! How can you even – " I start, but Coin cuts me off.

"I see your point, Abernathy. It actually is a rather good idea. Are there any other opinions?"

"Yes, there are." Gale speaks up. "Why don't we just send in a small team, composed of Boggs, Me, and a few volunteers to get back Catnip – I mean, Katniss."

"Yes! If we have a map, we can plan out how to dispatch our enemies and where to create diversions. If we're going to do this, we would have to do it soon." Saying this got a look from Gale, but I tried to ignore it. I was excited. Hopefully, we were really going to get Katniss back. Coin looks displeased that the majority of people seem to agree that getting Katniss back is the best solution.

"Beetee, Plutarch, and Boggs will plan the mission. Covers of the rebel spies will be blown, but I suppose it is worth it. Peeta would never do what we ask unless he got Katniss back, anyway." Coin stands. "Volunteers for the mission?"

I raise my hand high, but only Finnick and two men who I later find out are called Mitchell and Homes are chosen. It really will be a small squad, only five people.

"Maybe you should grab the other people that were taken." I suggest. "Who else was it? Just Johanna, I think?"

Coin just nods to Boggs who writes it down in his notebook. I notice for the first time he has been taking notes of the whole meeting. She concludes the meeting, and just as we were all about to leave, the individual screens that pop up from the table in front of our seats shot up. Everyone scrambled back to their seats. Except Beetee; he had turned them all on. He knew what was coming on.

"Hello, I am Caesar Flickerman, your host," Caesar smiles and the camera pulls back to show more of the set. "And today, our special guest is Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire." The camera now includes both of them. Katniss looks perfectly fine except for the tight, fake smile on her face and the trembling of her legs. If she stood up, I'm sure she'd pass out. It's only been four days since she was pulled from the arena. Who knows when they recorded this? As soon as she was stitched up and primped?

"I have to say, Miss Everdeen, I didn't expect to see you back here."

"Yeah," Katniss said, her voice rough. "Me either."

**A/N: Please leave reviews! I would love to hear from you. If you don't like it, give me your suggestions to make it better. It will get better in the chapters to come, I just needed this chapter to set up the situation. Thanks for being amazing. ~Briana Breezy**


	2. Fight To Unite

**A/N: This story won't be updated as fast as my other story, especially since this one isn't as popular.**

Chapter Two – Fight To Unite

Katniss and Caesar exchanged empty comments and then he got to the important stuff.

"So, Katniss…what are your thoughts on Peeta blowing up the forcefield?"

"I don't think that Peeta knew what he was doing, honestly," She took a deep breath.

"What he's done can be considered traitorous. He's stirred up a lot of bad reactions, and they seem to be very anti Capitol."

"Peeta didn't know anything about the plan that the others had. He and I were just trying to stay alive." Her eyes narrowed and her hand twitched like she wanted to reach back into her invisible quiver, grab an invisible arrow, and shoot him with it. Caesar and Katniss talked a bit more about what happened.

"Would you like to say anything to Peeta?" Katniss nodded at this.

"Peeta, if you're watching, I want you to know that you need to do everything in your power to help stop this rebellion. It's not right for us to be fighting against each other," Her eyes hardened in resolve. "Use your words, and most of all, be careful who you trust." Caesar could tell she was done talking. He ended the show and Beetee turned the screens off.

"Still think we should get her, now? She seems oh-so against the rebellion." Haymitch sneered.

"You know that's not her actual thoughts. She was probably put up to it." I glared at him, still trying to think about the last words she'd said. Especially the_ be careful who you trust_ part.

"She didn't say anything too inflammatory. If we get her, we're leaving tomorrow. Get to work on the plan, men." Coin sauntered off, agitated. "Meeting adjourned."

I stiffly got up and walked out the door. I accidently bumped into Gale as we passed.

"Hey, watch out, Peeta." Gale glowered, pushing me a bit with his shoulder.

"Don't try anything stupid, Hawthorne." I kept walking, trying to get to the quarters I had been assigned. Gale left me alone, and soon enough I was in my room for Reflection before dinner. I wasn't exactly in the mood to see people, so I decided to try to sleep. Katniss, the girl I love, is going to be back to me soon. She will no longer be harmed by the cruel people in the Capitol, torturing her for information she doesn't have. I thought that would soothe me, but it only got me thinking of all the damage they could have done to her.

xXx

Upon waking up the next morning, I was extremely hungry. I could care less about the schedule that I'm supposed to follow, yet I still do, because I want to be on the rebels' good side. I take a shower and head to breakfast, feeling hungrier than usual. I get an extra large helping, since I missed dinner. I sat next to Finnick and Annie. Their happiness rubs me the wrong way. That's what me and Katniss would be like – if she was here. I looked disdainfully at the mashed beets, bread, and milk as well as some small serving of a type of meat cubes. I eat it slowly, listening to the conversation going on around me. I'm excluded, but it's my own fault. I'm not in the mood to talk.

Finnick and Gale rise, going to Command to ready themselves for the mission. I still wish I had been picked to go. Perhaps it was better that I wasn't, though. What would I have done if I had gone to find her dead? Even still, what will I do if they can't retrieve her alive?

"Peeta, if it's alright with you, Plutarch wants to film you for a short propo. Just a few words against the Capitol." Boggs said suddenly. I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, it's fine." I finished quickly and put my tray in the return. I followed him to the studio and a team of makeup artists made me over, making me look natural but accenting the lines of my jaw, bringing out the highlights of my face, and making the blue of my eyes sparkle. For once, I looked a little like myself for the camera.

"Ah, Peeta. Okay, your line is, 'People of Panem, we must unite to defeat our one common enemy! Together, we can bring down the Capitol and stop their harsh and torturous ways. Together, we can become a stronger, more unified and spoken people'." Plutarch said, smiling. He lived for the outcome of the cause. I took my position and put on a brave, confident, yet defiant face.

"Three, two, one, action!" A cameraman yelled.

"_People of Panem, we must unite to defeat our one common enemy! Together, we can bring down the Capitol and stop their harsh and torturous ways!_ _Together, we can become a stronger, more unified and spoken people!_" I delivered the line as best as I could.

"Cut!"

"And that is how you help to win a war." Haymitch smiled, and it was almost a genuine, full on smile.

The camera crew quickly got to work on editing, although there wasn't much to edit. Within a half hour, they deemed it ready to be broadcasted on television. Beetee was going to try and air it a good forty-five minutes into the mission in order to draw some attention away from the activities that the squad was performing, though they were sure to succeed. So everybody says. There seemed to be a little too much assurance in their voices as they said it, and it wasn't fooling me.

Two hours passed and it was finally time to air the propo.

"I've finally got it! Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Beetee exclaimed.

"You've got wha –" I started.

"Shh, sit down, the propos are airing!" Beetee was the first to sit (well, he was already sitting since he was temporarily in a wheelchair, but still). I sat obediently and the screens popped up. Everybody in the studio's sitting room was attentive to the airing.

A golden mockingjay emblem shows up on the screen, and it slowly burns off of the screen, as a strong, perfectly carried man rises up from the ashes. Oh, that's me. Even though minimal makeup was used, it doesn't look like me. He's too brave, too cocky and confident. His inviting blue eyes seem to be whirlpools in the water as they draw you in, threatening to never let you go.

"_People of Panem, we must unite to defeat our one common enemy! Together, we can bring down the Capitol and stop their harsh and torturous ways! Together, we can become a stronger, more unified and spoken people!_" His – er, my – face contorts to the words. Even though they are few, they seem to speak legions. Flames devour me and words are superimposed onto the consuming flames.

**FIGHT TO UNITE**

A mockingjay swoops in and takes the words in its beak. The screen burns to black.

There were cheers from all around.

"Such a good propo to air in the Capitol." Beetee smiled sadistically.

"You really got it through? Good job!" I smiled wholeheartedly. I was pleased with the performance, although I wasn't at the same time. How can they present me as that man? I'm not that person. I have never been that person. But it's still pretty good. The cameramen seem pleased because of my way with words.

"How much longer until the rescue team is back?" I ask, trying not to sound impatient.

"With that performance, who cares if they return?" Coin smiles. It seemed almost malicious. I'm overreacting.

"I care. I love Katniss and if she doesn't come back to me…I'll have nothing left to live for." I duck my head downward so they don't see the tears in my eyes. Beetee opens his mouth to reassure me, but suddenly my gaze is yanked up toward the televisions where the Anthem is playing and the Capitol seal is being shown. President Snow is outside of his mansion where Katniss is surrounded by Peacekeepers who are armed with whips and guns. The whips seem to have metal barbs on them; long, spiked ones. Katniss is wearing only her bra and shorts, her shirt is on the ground. The Peacekeepers seem to have done this for a reason. Perhaps so more of her body is exposed for pain? I'm outraged. My temple throbs and I clench my teeth together.

"People of Panem, here is seventeen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, Victor of the now nonexistent District 12. Prepare to watch her suffer for the evil deeds she has bestowed upon our nation. This will bring justice to our people."

Katniss doesn't show emotion. She stares into the camera, seeming to accept her imminent death. A Peacekeeper sends the first lash upon her back, and she barely seems to wince.

"What are we going to do? What are we going to do!" I yell. The only response I get is silence.

**A/N: Wow, I hope you liked this chapter. Interesting turn of events, eh? See you in the next installment. Review please!**


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